Garage heater for automobiles



May 22, 1934. w. J. HANDLEY GARAGE HEATER FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Sept. 8, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l iii/ i INVENTOR. MLL/HM lV/Y/VDLIK A TTORNEY'S Patented May 22, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

This invention relates to a garage heater for automobiles, and has to do particularly with a simple, easily operated, and compactly designed electric heater.

The desirability of providing a heater to be placed directly underneath the crank case of the motor vehicle whereby the heat radiated therefrom will maintain the crank case oil, the transmission grease, and the various parts of the vaporizing system at the correct temperature for efficient starting and immediate operation, is well recognized in my Patent No. 1,529,885 of March 17, 1925.

The present invention relates to an improved heater adapted to perform much the same functions as the heater disclosed in the above mentioned patent but in a much more e'flicient and safe manner. In fact, one of the most important features of the present invention is the provision of an electric heater unit which is absolutely safe.

Anotherfeature of the present invention resides in the novel shape of the heater whereby the motor vehicle will always be in such a position that the heat radiated from the unit will produce the most efficient results.

Other features reside in details of construction and general arrangement as will be more clearly brought out in the specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the heater in operative position.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the heater.

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail of the heat creating unit.

My heater unit may be said to consist of two main parts, one part being the heat creating and transmitting part and the other part consisting of what may be generally called a ramp which makes possible the positive positioning of the unit relative to the vehicle. The heat creating unit is comprised of a cylindrical shell 1 mounted upon a stamped metal base 2 having the up-turned annular flange 3. The cylindrical shell supports the circular heat deflector 4 which has a plurality of supporting lugs 5 provided with shoulder portions 6 which engage the upper edge of the shell 1.

The deflector 4 is provided with the off-set portion 7 for clamping the shell 1 between the base plate 2 and the deflector 4 by means of a bolt 8. The threaded end of the bolt 8 is arranged to receive a nut 9, which is concealed by a name plate 10 which is secured thereto by the screws 11. The deflector plate 4 makes it impossible for any inflammable material to enter the cylindrical shell 1. The lower portion of the cylindrical shell 1 is provided with a plurality of openings 12 for directing the cold air into the lower portion of the heater unit.

The cylindrical shell 1 is enclosed by an annular member 13, the surface 14 of which is arcuate in cross section so as to form a ramp completely surrounding and enclosing the cylindrical shell 1 which contains the heat creating unit. The ramp 13 is provided adjacent the bottom thereof with a plurality of air openings 15, and an annular flange 16 having a plurality of openings 1'? adapted to receive any suitable means for securing the heater to the floor of the garage if desired. The ramp 13 is bolted to the annular flange 3 of the base member 2 by the bolts 18. It will be understood that this ramp 13 may be given various shapes, the main point being that the ramp has an inclined surface so that if any of the wheels of the automobile should strike the heater unit they will be deflected to one side thereof with the result that even if one wheel should be positioned closely adjacent the heater, the central heating unit within the shell 1 will still be positioned so that sufiicient heat will strike the bottom of the car as to make sure of eflicient heating of the proper points thereof.

The lower portion of the shell 1 has fixed thereto the L-brackets 19 which support the inner cylindrical shell 20 which is in spaced relation with the outer shell 1 and insulated therefrom by any suitable insulator such as the asbestos fiber 21. The inner cylindrical shell 20 carries a plurality of upper spokes 22 and lower spokes 23. The spokes and the cylindrical shell 22 are preferably an integral flat stamping which is rolled into the form of a spoked cylinder. Each of the spokes has a pair of inwardly turned flanges 24 forming, in conjunction with the spokes, a U-shaped channel for the reception of an insulating plate 25 for each pair of upper and lower spokes. The inner ends of the spokes 22 and 23 (Figs. 3 and 5) have struck therefrom the lugs 26 leaving the openings 2'7, the lugs being arranged about a central hub 28 which surrounds the bolt 8. The heating unit consists of a plurality of convolute resistance coils 29 which are supported by, and passed through, the insulating plates 25, whereby the insulating plates 25 completely insulate the resistance coils from the rest of the heating unit.

While the top plate 4 is so designed as to prevent any gasoline from entering the heat creating a member, I have made the unit absolutely safe from the danger of fire or explosion by providing a resistance unit so designed as to create sufficient heat but to remain at a temperature lower than the ignition temperature of gasoline. Gasoline, under ideal conditions, will ignite at about 750 F. while the maximum temperature inside my heater unit is designed to be around 650 F. To obtain this relatively low temperature I use a relatively large amount of wire or resistance coils 29 in combination with suflicient spacing and ample supply of air.

By spacing the relatively great number of coils, as shown in Fig. 3, and by providing the air inlet passageways around the base of the heater unit, it will be seen that I have provided a relatively great amount of air and a free circulation of air in and around the resistance coils. The resistance units may thus be termed black units because they will be maintained below the glow point by the great circulation of air. While a certain predetermined amount of current is supplied to the resistance units, such units are so her it would not become ignited, even if it was under ideal conditions for combustion. ,I have found with my unit that if the air is cut down appreciably the temperature inside of the shell 20 rises to approximately 1400 F. and while I 1 can obtain efiicient results by maintaining the with different constructions and different conditions'and may be wired as to permit at least two separate heats. Suitable wires 30 connect the, resistance units with a conveniently located switch 31 which may be operated to cut in all or part of the resistance units so that a certain amount of heat may be radiated, say if the temperature is about 15 F., above zero, and another amount of heat radiated in case the temperature is liable to run below this point. I have found that in using my resistance units which :operate with no glow that I can supply and direct sufficient warm air to various parts of the car at correct temperatures for efficient and immediate operation and still keep the cost of operation to an average of from four to five dollars a month, figuring that the'car is left'in the garage only on an average of twelve hours a day.

. The ramp 13, not only insures that the car will be correctly positioned above the heater, but also protects the heater unit and makes it possible to hang the heater on'the wallin the summer time or mount it permanently to the floor. The

bile.

apertures 12, circumferentially spaced around the bottom of the ramp 1'3, supply sufiicient air to the space above the plate 2. In this way the cool air, around the bottom of the automobile and directly adjacent the floor, is taken into the bottomof the heater, heated,'and directed upwardly against the bottom parts of the automohalf inches and an over all diameter of approximately eighteen inches. The height of the heater is, of course, limited by the height of the front axle 32 above the floor, or in some cases, the

height of the differential but the overall diameter.

Furthermore, the heat creating unit itself is so designed and protected as to prevent all fire hazards and to give efficient results. The heater, of course, will only operate during the time that the car is in the garage and during such cold weather as might aifect the operation of the car. The heat from the unit will, of course, directly affect the water circulating system and will keep the oil in the crank case, the grease in the transmission, and the fuel conducting and vaporizing conduits at the correct temperature for easy starting and immediate operation.

The localization of the correct amount of heat is positive and permanent and the use of my electric resistance unit makes it much cheaper to heat the certain localized parts of the car than to maintain the entire garage at the same relative temperature. It will be understood that the complete heating unit will be positioned a predetermined distance, from the side wall of the garage and from either the front or back wall depending upon the location of the garage and the normal position in'which the automobile is to stand therein; in other words, the heating unit is designed preferably to be positioned centrally between the wheels of the automobile when standing in normal position and at a pointjust forward of the transmission housing.

What I claim is: r

1. A garage heater for directing heat against certain localized portions of a motor vehicle,

comprising a heat radiating unit adapted to be tially surrounding said heat radiating unit, said a member being of less width than the wheel gage but having a sloping surface for insuring the positive positioning of said heat radiating unit a predetermined distance from the inside of the wheels.

2. A garage heater for directing heat against certain localized portions of a motor vehicle, comprising a heat radiating unit adapted to be positioned between the wheels of the vehicle, and a substantially circular ramp member substantially surrounding said heat radiating unit, said member being of less width than the wheel gage but having sloping surface for insuring the positive positioning of said heat radiating unit a predetermined distance from the inside of the wheels, said heat radiating unit and ramp being located as a single unit.

3. A garage heater for directing heat against certain localized portions of a motor vehicle, comprising a heat radiating unit adapted to be positioned between the wheels of the vehicle, and a substantially circular ramp member substantiallysurrounding said heat radiating unit, said member being of less width than the wheel gage but having sloping surface for insuring the positive positioning of said heat radiating unit a pre determined distance from the inside of the wheels, said heat radiating unit and ramp being located as a single unit at a predetermined point relative to the normal position of the vehicle within the garage.

4. A garage heater for motor vehicles comprising an outer substantially cylindrical shell of less diameter than the width of the wheels and having a portion of its surface upwardly and inwardly inclined to form a ramp, and a heat creating unit positioned within said shell and arranged to radiate heat upwardly and substantially centrally of said outer shell.

5. A garage heater for localizing the application of heat to the underside of motor vehicles, comprising an inner cylindrical shell defining the walls of the heat creating and radiating unit, electric resistance means positioned within said shell, a bafile member permitting the radiation of heat from but preventing the entrance of any foreign substances into said shell, and an annular outer shell formed around said inner shell, the exposed surfaces of said outer shell sloping to form a ramp.

6. A garage heater for localizing the application of heat to the underside of motor vehicles, comprising an inner cylindrical shell defining the walls of the heat creating and radiating unit, electric resistance means positioned within said shell, a bafiie member permitting the radiation of heat from but preventing the entrance of any foreign substances into said shell, an annular outer shell formed around said inner shell, the exposed surfaces of said outer shell sloping to form a ramp, a metal base for said inner and outer shells, and air inlets at the base of said inner and outer shells.

'7. A garage heater for localizing the application of heat to the underside of motor vehicles, comprising an inner cylindrical shell defining the walls of the heat creating and radiating unit, electric resistance means positioned within said shell, a baffle member permitting the radiation of heat from but preventing the entrance of any foreign substances into said shell, an annular outer shell formed around said inner shell, the exposed surfaces of said outer shell sloping to form a ramp, said inner shell and outer shell being provided with apertures for the positive circulation of air through said unit.

8. A garage heater for localizing the application of heat to the underside of motor vehicles, comprising an inner cylindrical shell defining the walls of the heat creating and radiating unit, electric resistance means positioned adjacent the bottom of said shell, a baflie member permitting the radiation of heat from but preventing the entrance of any foreign substances into said shell, an annular outer shell formed around said inner shell, the exposed surfaces of said outer shell sloping to form a ramp, an air chamber between the resistance unit and the bottom of the shell, and means arranged in combination with said shell and resistance means for permitting circulation of air through said air chamber whereby to insulate the bottom of the unit.

9. A warm air unit for localizing the application of heat to the underside of motor vehicles, comprising an electrical resistance unit and enclosing means having apertures arranged for permitting circulation of air through said unit, the amount of air circulated through said resistance unit being sufficient to maintain the temperature at a point below the ignition temperature of gasoline.

10. A warm air heating unit for localizing the application of heat to the underside of motor vehicles, comprising an electrical resistance unit having a relatively large number of coils, and enclosing means having apertures for supplying and permitting circulation of a relatively large amount of air through the resistance unit, the vehicle being heated by a relatively large amount of air at a relatively low temperature and the supply of air being sufficient to maintain the coils of said resistance unit below the glow point.

11. A warm air heating unit for localizing the application of heat to the underside of motor vehicles, comprising an electrical resistance unit having a relatively large number of coils and enclosing means having apertures for supplying and permitting circulation of a relatively large amount of air through the resistance unit, the vehicle being heated by a relatively large amount of air at a relatively low temperature and the supply of air being sufficient to maintain the temperature adjacent said unit below 750 F.

WILLIAM J. HANDLEY. 

